- Title
- Bodies on the line: the social and physical capital of race riding
- Creator
- Maynard, John
- Relation
- The Cambridge Companion to Horseracing p. 83-93
- Relation
- http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/arts-theatre-culture/sports-studies/cambridge-companion-horseracing
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2013
- Description
- Like champion boxers, successful jockeys are feted by the press and courted by kings, queens, politicians and the rich and famous. The rise and fall from the top can be equally quick: easy money, accolades and winners can disappear overnight and with them the backslappers they attract. In a recent interview, three-time Melbourne Cup–winning jockey Glen Boss highlights the adrenalin rush that comes with being a top-flight jockey, saying, ‘I’m 41 now and the buzz, the thrill, is stronger than ever after a big win. It’s like you’re Robbie Williams on stage, every one’s looking at you and you’re like a rock star. . . . it’s electric.’ Addiction to the limelight leads many jockeys to stay too long, and hard-earned wealth is quickly consumed: the lifestyle produced by success is not easily given up. This chapter examines the impact of such a high-risk occupation on jockeys and their families. It is based on my experience of growing up as the son of a jockey and thus provides a personal insight from the track – a perspective that is currently underrepresented in the academic literature.
- Subject
- horse racing; jockeys; professional sport
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1053690
- Identifier
- uon:15651
- Identifier
- ISBN:9781107013858
- Language
- eng
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